Top Calif. Official: States Using Budget Woes As Smokescreen For Anti-Public Union Drive

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

State officials around the country are using state and local budget woes as a smokescreen for campaigns against public unions and their workers, a top California state official says. In a Jan. 24 telephone press conference, hosted by the Economic Policy Institute, California Treasurer Bill Lockyer (D), said if those pols succeed, the cuts would devastate not only workers but services.  EPI scholars added the devastation would spread to the private sector, imperiling the fragile recovery from the Great Recession. Locally, labor, community and religious allies have formed the Metro-Washington Alliance For Progressive Solutions, a coalition designed to develop research capabilities to enable participants to analyze and understand budget and tax issues affecting regional government workers. CLICK HERE for the complete report on Lockyer’s comments or email rpowell@dclaborarchives.org for info on MAPS. - Mark Gruenberg, Press Associates, Inc.